The European Union opened membership talks with Turkey early Tuesday. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul flew late Monday night to Luxembourg for a late-night ceremony to formally open entry talks, following an agreement which was gained after strong U.S. lobbying for Turkey's candidacy.
"We have reached a historic point," Gul said in Ankara before boarding his jet. "Turkey will be the only Muslim country in EU." The negotiations could last a decade, experts said.
The negotiations came amid fears that rejecting the only Muslim EU candidate country could destabilize the Turkish government.
Although Turkey belongs to NATO and other international groups, its poor human rights record and economic past have kept it from becoming a full member.
Failure to start the negotiations would have been seen as a serious blow to the credibility of the EU, which made Turkey an associate member in 1963 with the prospect of future membership.
